1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a highway divider including a plurality of butt-joined divider members. Each divider member has two side walls which are oppositely concavely curved in the vertical cross-section. The side walls are connected to each other at their upper longitudinal edges.
2. Description of the Related Art
A highway divider of the above-described type is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,300. The divider members of the known highway divider are not coupled to each other in longitudinal direction. The side walls of the divider members are curved in accordance with a parabola function. Connected to the lower longitudinal edges of the side walls are strip-like border portions which extend in a common horizontal plane. The side walls are connected to each other only in the region of the upper edges. The positional stability of the divider members is to be provided by projections which are cut out and bent downwardly from the transition area between the horizontal strip-like border portions and the curved portions of the side walls. These projections are to be driven into the ground either by the weight of the divider members, by applying impact force or by the weight of motor vehicles which travel on the horizontal border portions.
Since the divider members are not connected to each other and the stability is effected only by the projections which can be forced into the ground, the known highway divider can only be used to a limited extent where two highway lanes are to be separated from each other or where, for example, construction sites have to be secured from an adjacent highway lane. The divider members can be displaced especially when they are placed on a hard concrete surface. In addition, a permanent longitudinal alignment of the divider members is not possible. Portions of the divider members may project at the butt-joints between the divider members which may be struck by motor vehicles, so that the divider members are then laterally displaced to an increasing extent from the desired position. Another disadvantage of the known highway divider is the fact that the divider members are connected to each other only in the upper areas of the side walls. Thus, the divider members have only a low stability against twisting. Since, moreover, the side walls are inclined relatively steeply, they are essentially only deflectors from which motor vehicles which have left the highway lanes cannot roll off relatively softly back to the highway lane.